Linebackers tackle burning issues

Linebackers tackle burning issues

Birmingham and Great Britain Linebackers’ Afia Law and Phoebe Schecter were in full kit on Sunday, of a different sort to normal Lions’ duties, as they assisted Crewe’s Fire Service with their female recruitment campaign.

Put through their paces, alongside players from the Staffordshire Surge and fellow GB internationals Lindsey Robson (from East Kilbride Pirates) and Laura Dye (care of Chester Romans) the “new recruits” gave as good as they got under testing but very fun conditions.

“The day itself was hard work but really rewarding” commented Law, “…we did all the tests that you have to go through to become a fire-fighter – like lifting and carrying kit over a 25m length and back, dragging dead weight dummies and making our way through an obstacle-type course, in a cage, blindfolded! – and as a result we really got a taste for the challenge new recruits have to face.”

Schecter concurred: “It needed a lot of effort as you’d expect, but whilst I can definitely say I prefer wearing and working in our kit to theirs, it was empowering to get a group of people together who had mainly never met before, to function in such unison. The way fire-fighters, national football players and start-up team players all inter-mingled so well was inspiring and it was great getting to know all the Service’ ladies background stories. I definitely have a new found respect for the job they do.”

With just 31 female fire-fighters in the Crewe Service, compared to their 638 male counterparts, Station Manager Helen Tooley got in touch with the Cheshire based Schecter to seek assistance. “The aim of their campaign is to encourage more women into the Service by giving women who are keen to get involved, a little glimpse of a fire-fighters life and I think this experience did that, just perfectly.”

May we take this opportunity to wish Crewe Fire Service all the best with their initiative and thank Phoebe too for orchestrating the event.